Before a woman can know what causes a miscarriage, she has to know what exactly it is. A miscarriage is defined as a pregnancy that is spontaneously terminated before the 20th week of pregnancy. If a woman is beyond 20 weeks pregnant, the loss of the baby is then considered a stillbirth.
Everyone woman, regardless of age, health, or previous pregnancies is vulnerable to miscarriages. Experts claim that when counting early pregnancies that woman may not even know about, almost 50 percent of pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Although most pregnancy losses can't be prevented, it is still a wise decision for all women who are trying to conceive to learn what causes miscarriages.
Pregnancy Loss from Chromosomal Abnormalities is Common
Chromosomal abnormalities make up the majority of miscarriage causes. Most of the time these abnormalities are random ones that happen only once, but there are a few percentage of women who will have certain chromosomal abnormalities that can happen more than once. If a woman suffers from more than two miscarriages, she can choose to have genetic testing done on her and her partner as well as a miscarried fetus to see if there are certain problems with the chromosomes and DNA that are causing the losses.
Also, when a woman reaches the age of 35, her risk increases for miscarriages due to the fact her eggs are more vulnerable to defects. Most doctors will consider a woman over the age of 35 high-risk at least early in the pregnancy, even if she is in perfect health.
The Health of a Woman Can be the Cause of a Miscarriage
Certain health conditions in a woman may make a miscarriage more likely. For example, a diabetic woman can have excess glucose in her blood, which can actually cause her to miscarry. A diabetic woman should have healthy insulin levels for at least three months before she tries to conceive a baby.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is another health condition that can be the reason why a woman loses a pregnancy. PCOS raises levels of insulin in a woman, just like diabetes, and can have the same results. Any woman who has thyroid problems should be having their blood tested throughout their pregnancy to ensure proper levels.
An aspect of a woman's health that can cause miscarriages that she has complete control over is her weight. In the past few years, experts have found that women who are obese (BMI of over 30) are more likely to suffer miscarriages. It is not completely known why but the cause once again may be insulin resistance in the women. Any woman who has a BMI of 30 or more should consider losing weight before she tries conceiving, not only to lessen the risk of miscarriages but to help her be able to have a healthier pregnancy.
Infections Can be the Reason Why a Woman Miscarries
Several types of infections have been known to cause a woman to miscarry. Viral infections such as chicken pox (varicella), rubella, HIV (AIDS) as well as bacterial infections like bacterial vaginosis have been shown to cause miscarriages.
Also, listeriosis, which is caused by certain bacteria in unpasteurized foods as well as uncooked hot dogs and luncheon meats is a known cause of pregnancy loss.
Other Controversial Causes of Miscarriages
A more controversial cause of miscarriages is not enough progesterone, which is a hormone that helps to prepare the uterus for implantation of the embryo. Progesterone is naturally produced by woman when ovulation happens but the levels of the hormone can vary greatly, even day to day in a woman. This is why some doctors don't regard low progesterone as a cause of miscarriage.
One of the biggest controversial causes of miscarriages is caffeine. There have been conflicting studies that have come out on caffeine and pregnancy. Some reports claim that consuming 200mg or more of caffeine while pregnant can increase the risk of the woman miscarrying while other reports say that up to 350mg can be safe for a pregnant woman. The March of Dimes recommends that a woman play it safe and not consume more than 200mg of caffeine while pregnant.
Most of the miscarriages that happen can be explained by one of the causes listed here, but there are some that will not have an explainable cause. Although every pregnant woman should be aware of what causes miscarriages, they should not focus on the possibility of losing the baby and should try to enjoy the wonderful months of pregnancy that they have ahead of them.
Sources:
March of Dimes accessed 6/8/2010
WebMD accessed 6/8/2010
Tiffany Brunskole - Tiffany is a freelance writer and web marketer. She has over three years of experience writing quality content for the web. She spends ...
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